


2 Souls on Fire

by diminishedmercury



Series: Mercury One Shots [4]
Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, can be read romantically or platonically, i liked this idea so i may have to write a continuation, no beta we die like men, or something else to explore this dynamic a little more, very soft merc/blake
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-14 00:56:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15377190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diminishedmercury/pseuds/diminishedmercury
Summary: "It was like a lightbulb going off— He didn't say anything, but he silently knew that her excuse was bullshit. Grimm don't give you bruises like that. It just doesn't happen that way. They claw and tear and annihilate. They swing for the kill, they don't aim to hurt and maim. Humans aim to weaken their opponents (faunus and humans, but there wasn't a big enough difference there that Mercury felt a need to make a distinction)."





	2 Souls on Fire

There are things in life that Mercury has learned to trust as a constant— suffering was the biggest of them all. He could trust suffering. He could rely on pain to always be there when nothing else was. But he also knew that the way he thought was no _healthy_ way to live (but Mercury had never known a healthy life, so what was it to him?). It was just that, well, he noticed suffering more keenly than most. He could pick up on it in an instant. Eyes were always so tricky that way— they revealed all of your secrets if one only knew what to look for. And when Mercury had met Blake Belladonna for the first time, he was blown away. There was a passion within her, but beneath it was a burning anger, a sorrow calling out and desperately wanting to be heard. He wasn't surprised when Adam never picked up on that (Adam was _kind of_ a dick, after all). Mercury heard her silent pleas like a mantra. It was almost overwhelming and for a while, he completely avoided missions that involved _him_ interacting with _her_.

He kept that up until he started to notice the sag of her ears and the slight limp to her leg. It was like a lightbulb going off— He didn't say anything, but he silently knew that her excuse was bullshit. Grimm don't give you bruises like that. It just doesn't happen that way. They claw and tear and annihilate. They swing for the kill, they don't aim to hurt and maim. _Humans_ aim to weaken their opponents (faunus and humans, but there wasn't a big enough difference there that Mercury felt a need to make a distinction). He knew how it felt to have hands on your body that you didn't want there, knew what it was like to be beaten so badly that you could hardly walk, knew what showed on his face when he thought of his suffering. She had that same look in her eyes and he wasn't certain why he hadn't realized it sooner. Probably because he hadn't wanted to notice, if he was being honest. He doesn't care about Blake Belladonna, but he has a soft spot for kids being beaten by their families (or, in this case, creepy older boyfriends who lead terrorist cells).

He doesn't really know what he's going to do with his new-found revelation. There's no reason in the world for him to approach her, none at all, and yet he finds himself spread out on one of the big cliffs that surrounds their current campsite with Blake sitting next to him, her knees pulled to her chest and her ears drawn back against her head. He doesn't touch her, but he does cock one eyebrow and ask if she wants to tell him how she got that bruise on her lip. She doesn't answer him.

It becomes routine. They still don't work missions together, but once they're both done with whatever assignment they'd been given, they always head back to that one cliff to lay back and watch the clouds blow across an inky sky. They still don't talk about Adam, but there are some days that Mercury thinks she wants to. He gives her more time and doesn't push. It doesn't concern him. She's not his friend and he's more worried about self-preservation than anything else. But something has to give one of these days. She won't stay silent forever. Mercury knows that he couldn't despite trying.

It's on one of these routine visits that something finally _does_ give. He's made it to their little spot and she's crying; the moment he's sat down next to her, he's got a lap full of cat faunus and a snotty, tear-soaked shoulder. They've never touched before, but here he is holding her in his lap with arms securely wrapped around her waist. He doesn't lie and say that Adam won't touch her— the moment she leaves their sanctuary, he can't protect her. He can't stop Adam. He knows that he could potentially take down Adam in a fight, there's no question about that in his mind, but he has orders and he has to listen to Cinder's wants (and she wants Adam _alive_ for her grand scheme).

"You're safe. With me." He settles for and it's not very reassuring, but she seems to calm as his hand finds her hair and works the knots out of it.

"He hit me again," her voice is soft.

"I know." His tone is steady, even, as if Adam hitting her were just another thing happening in the world at any given point in time. And it was. It wasn't something out of the ordinary to Mercury.

They spend the rest of that night in quiet companionship (all the while, Blake still proudly claimed her seat in his lap and he really didn't have enough fucks to push her off). After that night, it's almost as if a dam has broken between them. At least on Blake's side (and he has to silently wonder why she doesn't tell _Ilia_ any of this, but it's clear the moment that Mercury sees the envy on her face when she looks at Adam; she's too blinded by her love for the cat faunus to truly take notice of Blake's suffering). She touches him more often— and it's subtle. They stand closer together, she'll brush the back of her hand against his, she'll sit in his lap and read. It seems like she was missing touch. Mercury is just surprised he allows it— it makes his skin crawl and scream when he's touched without warning, but Blake is always, _always_ careful to make sure he's aware when she wants to touch him. He appreciates it and if he benefits from the arrangement too, who has to know? It's comforting in more ways than he would like to admit to have Blake's friendship. She doesn't expect anything out of him, unlike Cinder. She doesn't veil her compliments with insults, unlike Emerald. She doesn't tell him that he's worthless, unlike Roman.

He thinks that he could love her, given time. Maybe. He's never experienced love before, so he's not certain what that feels like, but it's probably close to the warmth that spreads throughout his chest when she says something stupid. And stupid it almost always is. But he's talking to her more now, hinting at regrets and sorrows he hasn't told anyone else about. She's sympathetic, for obvious reasons.

But it doesn't last. Nothing ever lasts. He thinks back to the constants again when she leaves without so much as a word. Pain will always be there to comfort him at night. There is nothing to say— she wasn't his lover or his friend, but she damn well felt like it. He stays quiet when Adam comes stalking over to demand Blake's location from him. He accuses him of adultery. Mercury can only scoff and reply with "If she was fucking me, she wouldn't be on your dick anymore." He gets a hit to the face for that, but Adam looks worse off than he does when they're through with each other.

"I hope you're happy." He mutters darkly into the quiet of the air that night. He's lying in their spot on the cliff. "I hope you're safe."

**Author's Note:**

> Hit me up on my tumblr (igneousprince) with requests!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Concordant Wounds](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17384306) by [Pers0nae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pers0nae/pseuds/Pers0nae)




End file.
